The Western Massachusetts Nursing Collaborative

Western Massachusetts Nursing Collaborative

The Western Massachusetts Nursing Collaborative is a regional coalition of nurse leaders from academic institutions and healthcare organizations, driven by a shared commitment to the essential role nurses play in delivering high-quality, patient-centered care. Through sustained collaboration, the Collaborative works to ensure that Western Massachusetts has a sufficient supply of well-prepared, highly skilled, and diverse nurses to meet the evolving healthcare needs of the community.

Registered nurses comprise the largest segment of the healthcare workforce and are foundational to care delivery across all settings. Despite broader economic fluctuations, the nursing workforce continues to face significant and growing shortages. These challenges are driven by multiple factors, including an aging population with increasing care needs, a wave of nurse retirements, capacity constraints within nursing education programs, and ongoing workforce pressures that impact retention.

Since its founding in 2006, the Western Massachusetts Nursing Collaborative has remained both proactive and responsive to regional workforce challenges. It has played a critical role in advancing coordinated strategies that strengthen nursing education capacity, support workforce development, and promote diversity within the profession. The Collaborative remains committed to advancing the following priorities:

• Ensure nurses have the competencies and full scope of practice to meet the health needs of the community
• Increase the diversity of the nursing workforce in western Massachusetts
• Increase the number of nurses in the region with a BSN/BS in nursing or advanced degree
• Increase the supply and diversity of nursing faculty in western Massachusetts
• Sustain the growth and development of the healthcare workforce partnership of western Massachusetts to implement its goals

Awards:

• Organization of Nurse Leaders – MA, RI, NH, CT, VT – Janet Madigan Advocacy Award (2019)

WMNC Reports:

• Did the COVID-19 pandemic affect the quality of the nursing graduate, as seen through the eyes of nursing schools and healthcare organizations?
• Data on RN recruitment from local programs
• Nurse Educator Salary Western MA
• Clinical Nursing Salaries Western MA
• MA Faculty Salary Comparison (Final 12-19-23)

Strategic Plan 2024-2026

Our 2024-2026 Strategic Plan is an aggressive and thoughtful agenda to ensure that high quality healthcare is provided by a well-trained, diverse, and culturally aware workforce.

Nursing Publications, Trainings, and Educational Materials

American Association of Colleges of Nursing

• Fact Sheet: Nursing Faculty Shortage (May 2024)
• Impact of Education on Nursing Practice (April 2023)

ANA Massachusetts

• Did the COVID-19 pandemic affect the quality of the nursing graduate, as seen through the eyes of nursing schools and healthcare organizations?  (WMNC full report)

BORN Regulations

• Guidance for Nursing Practice by Graduates and Students in Their Last Semester of Nursing Education Programs (June 2024)
• BORN regs_244cmr6 (January 2023)

Department of Higher Education

• Community College Nursing Scholarship Program (October 2023) 

DPH Updates

State partners are working closely with DPH to expand the nursing pipeline:

• Executive Order and DPH guidance to allow GRADUATES of nursing programs (who are not yet licensed) to practice nursing during in Their Last Semester of Nursing Education Programs — Authorization Extended (May 31, 2024).
• Executive Order to Expedite Processing of Reciprocal License Applications Licensure Policy 10-03

National Academy of Medicine

• National Plan for Health Workforce Well-Being

New England Nursing Clinical Faculty and Preceptor Academy

• Preceptor Skills Webinars 

Nursing Council on Workforce Sustainability

• NCWS Recommendations

Organization of Nurse Leaders

• Leadership and Professional Development Series 2026 

National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN)

• The 2024 National Nursing Workforce Survey (April 2025)

Centralized Nursing Clinical Placement System

The Massachusetts Centralized Nursing Clinical Placement System (MCNCPS) is a collaborative initiative of the Board of Higher Education (BHE) and the Massachusetts Center for Nursing (MCN).

Developed by the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education, the MCNCPS is a standalone, web-based software platform designed to support the coordination, scheduling, and management of clinical nursing education placements between healthcare organizations and nursing programs. The system is regionally structured and was developed with input from nursing education and practice leaders across the Commonwealth. Additional information is available on the program website.

In Western Massachusetts, healthcare organizations and academic institutions participating in the implementation of the MCNCPS have streamlined the clinical placement process through the use of a centralized electronic scheduling system. This approach has also supported the standardization of requirements for clinical rotations across healthcare facilities in the region.

Updated: March 18, 2026